Randy R wrote:I'm curious as to the general view on this question. Do you ever eat cheese with sweet things like jelly or jam? I just noticed a new line of jams in the supermarket placed on the "gourmet" cheese shelf with the mention that they are made specifically to accompany cheeses. Some have thyme or basil or lavender in them, others, like fig, are pure.

I'd say generally not, with one broad exception: It's not at all unusual to use cream cheeses, including mascarpone and <i>possibly</i> very mild goat cheeses, in <i>recipes</i> involving jelly, jam, fruit preserves, etc. I love to dollop mascarpone on halved fresh figs. And at least in the U.S., an old horse doover of the '60s involves dolloping jam on top of a block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese and dipping it up with crackers until you've got a nasty, sticky mess. (In Louisville, a traditional variation involves replacing the jam with a sweet-savory concoction called Henry Bain Sauce that has Major Grey's Chutney and Worcestershire sauce in it ... )

We've got a Maroccan fig chutney which works really with cheese. I think the trick may be that sweet on it's own will invariably not work, but a chutney with a balance of sweet, savoury and a little spice can work brilliantly.

We have a traditional dish that is a flat, baked cheese which is eaten with seabuckthorn jam on top. Delicious. If only I could eat soft cheeses

Otherwise I've never really been too fond of the combination when it's been served. But one thing I do like, which causes a hint of sweetness to the cheese, is chevre or parmigiano reggiano with a bit of good quality Balsamico sprinkled on top. Or if you want more than a hint of sweetness, then PX sherry works really well also!

I don't drink wine because of religious reasons ... only for other reasons.

Me? Never. It's just not a combination I'm into. But I see a lot of sweet/hot jellies poured over logs of Kraft Cream Cheese at parties--which inevitably look like a superfund site after the 7th person has dug his cracker into it. I won't go near them.

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

Well, speaking of nuts, the French now have bigger problems. This headline just popped up on my Google desk top of constantly-replenished headlines: "Brigitte Bardot, angered over what she called France's insensitivity to the plight of minks, has threatened to move to Sweden."

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov